


Hiding

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Series: Recognition AU [8]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-02 02:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10935057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: They were free from the Court, but not from Dick. So…now what?





	Hiding

**Author's Note:**

> This is just an angsty chat. But don’t worry - things frankly are just going to get worse from here. :3

To put it nicely – the building was a shithole.

Rundown and old. Abandoned and condemned to be demolished, whenever Gotham had the money to do so, or remembered.

The bodies of the homeless Dick had slayed to take over this spot were piled in the alleyway outside. Behind the dumpster.

But it wasn’t with the Court. It wasn’t a jail cell, and they were both alive, despite the duress they had, and continued, to endure.

So.

That was something.

“…So.” Tim whispered hoarsely, looking away from the broken window further down the wall – where the bodies were already beginning to smell – to stare back at Dick and Damian. Damian, who was leaned back against Dick’s chest, trapped between his knees, blinked stoically. His face was blank, as he clung to the clawed arms draped across his chest, and Tim knew he was trying to ignore the danger he was in, the person who was causing him so much fear and turmoil. The place he’d otherwise want to be, but right now couldn’t be far enough away if he tried. “Explain it to me again.”

“The Court never liked that I kept you alive.” Dick hummed boredly. “And they didn’t like how long it was taking to train you. I didn’t like it either, of course, but. You were always _my_ experiment, not theirs. They have no say when you’re terminated. Only me.”

“…And you didn’t like that they ambushed us. Or tried to take your control away.” Tim surmised quietly, eyes glued on the youngest. “So now…?”

“Now we repay them in kind. They wanted to take us out for rebellion? Then we take them out.” Dick decided. “Only, unlike them, we succeed.”

“…Right.” Tim gulped. “And then?”

“We will cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“…Okay.” Tim whispered. “And…you never letting Damian out of your sight is part of this plan because…?”

Dick smiled, and Tim found himself starting to hate it. Hate everything about this man he once called his brother. “Because if I have him, I have you.”

“Blackmail.”

“A harsh term, but sure.” Dick squeezed Damian almost in a familiar hug, but Damian flinched under the attention. “I know you won’t ever leave him behind, even if it means walking into your own doom. It seems a better option than stabbing you in the leg.”

“Hm.” Tim frowned, and found himself unable to keep his barb back. “At least you’re smarter than you _look_.”

Dick dropped his grin, and he twisted his arm to wrap one of those clawed gloves around Damian’s arm. Not dangerous, not yet. A warning, for now.

“Careful.” Dick purred. “Any punishment _you_ earn goes to him.”

“As if you could hurt me.” Damian whispered. It was an attempt at bravery, they all knew. Just as they all knew it didn’t work.

Dick’s grin returned as he curled tighter around Damian, and pressed their cheeks together. Almost like he used to, back when he was their brother, the one Tim and Damian loved more than anyone else. Back when he was a hero, the greatest human being to ever exist. Back before…before he was _this_.

“I believe,” He hummed in amusement. “I already have, little one.”

“Don’t.” Tim lashed out without thinking. Dick looked up at him and frowned. Damian’s eyes just widened. “God, just…use him against me, punch him in the face, whatever. He can take it, just…just not that. Don’t do the emotional shit.”

“…No?” Dick asked, almost innocently.

“No.” Tim growled. “Because you don’t even _know_ what you’re mocking him with, so it’ll backfire on you anyway. And then you’ll just look _stupid_.”

Dick pursed his lips, stared for a moment, before glancing down at Damian.

“I think your brother is even stupider than I am.” He decided. Damian, keeping his eyes on Tim, nodded in faint agreement.

Tim only smiled.

“There you go.” Dick cooed pleasantly. “I knew you had a mean streak in you as well.”

“Well if that’s what you wanted all this time, all you had to do was ask.” Tim drawled, with a roll of his eyes. “So, what now? You said we take the Court out. How do we do that?”

“Lie low, for now.” Dick explained, glancing out the boarded window behind him. There was a small space between the wood, and light from the lowering sun cut across his face like a mask. “They’ll be angry and hunting now. We let them cool down a little bit first. Strike them when they least expect it.”

“That’s a…” Tim hesitated, debating. Pushed through anyway. “That’s a very _Batman_ way of planning.” Dick looked back at him, but he didn’t look annoyed like Tim thought he might. Damian looked alarmed, though. “…So maybe Bruce Wayne’s house might be a better place to hide than here.”

“Is that so?” Dick asked, almost thoughtfully. Like he was considering it.

“You return us safely, and let us explain to him and our family that you actually _saved_ us, they might even forgive you.” Tim tried. “But even if they didn’t, if you told them you were going after the Court, they’d be _happy_ to join forces with you. And the more there are, the stronger we’d be, right?”

“In theory.” Dick agreed. He stopped, looking down at Damian. Damian carefully glanced up at him. Dick smiled, and god, Tim hated how dangerous that was now. “But no. We won’t be doing that.”

“…Oh.” Tim sighed. “Are you…sure?”

“Yes.” Dick looked back up, that smile still bright and deadly as he balanced his chin on Damian’s head. “Because I know for a fact that you don’t even know if Bruce Wayne is dead or not, and who am I to ruin the surprise?”

Tim couldn’t argue that.

“If you told us.” Damian whispered, closing his eyes. “We’d have less reason to run away from you. Part of the reason we want to leave you is to check on Father. So, if you just told us…”

“Oh, little one.” Dick squeezed Damian again, and Damian bit his lip. “You say that as if you _could_ run away from me.” He leaned down to whisper in Damian’s ear, but loud enough for Tim to hear too. “I’d catch you and stab you in the spine before you got to the front door of this building.”

Tim silently grit his teeth.

“But that is neither here nor there.” Dick sighed, leaning back against the wall. “It is getting late, and you two need to sleep. You’re even more useless to me when you’re tired.”

“Are _you_ going to sleep?” Tim drawled.

“Of course.” Dick nodded. “Though, unfortunately for you, I’m a light sleeper. So, try to escape, or take your brother from my arms, and I will slit his throat.”

And he said it in such a nonchalant way – Tim knew he would.

“So goodnight, little ones.” Dick hummed, closing his eyes. “Sleep well.”

Tim and Damian sat in silence until they sensed Dick’s breaths were even. Damian was exhausted, Tim could see it. Hell, he was exhausted himself. But he knew Damian wouldn’t dare let himself sleep until he felt safe. Until he felt at least some sense of security.

So carefully, slowly so as not to alarm Dick, he scooted closer to the pair. Twisted so he was sitting next to Dick, and carefully reached out for Damian’s hand.

Damian took it instantly.

“Get some sleep.” Tim whispered. Damian twisted his head to glare at him. “I will too, I promise.”

But before Damian could no doubt retort, there was a sound outside, like someone landing on a roof. Damian instantly squeezed Tim’s fingers, but Tim paid it no mind. Continued holding his little brother’s hand as he turned to glance out the boarded up window.

And he could barely hold in his gasp.

Because it wasn’t the Court. It wasn’t anyone looking for them, not really. Not technically.

It was Jason.

It was the Red Hood.

And he could tell by body language, Jason was just on patrol, not on their trail.

Cassandra landed behind him, then Steph. They talked for a moment. Cass pointed at something in the opposite direction of them. Jason went that way. Stephanie waited another moment before going a different way.

Tim lifted his free hand to the slit between the boards. Was going to slip his fingers between them. Wave, hit the board, do something to get her attention.

“Cass…” He whispered.

“Don’t.” Damian breathed, squeezing Tim’s hand impossibly tight. Pulled him subtly back. “Drake, please don’t.”

Tim looked at him. “She’s right there. If I can get her to look this way…”

Damian shook his head, and suddenly there were tears in his eyes. “He’ll kill her.”

“But-”

“He’ll kill her, Drake.” Damian gulped. “He’ll kill her, I _know_ he will.”

Tim paused, but slowly took his hand away from the window.

“Please, don’t make him kill her.” Damian cried, a lone tear crawling down his face. “Don’t make him kill our sister.” A pause, then quieter. “…Please don’t make her kill him either.”

“…Okay.” Tim promised. He glanced back out the crack. Cass was gone now. He sighed, and turned back, placing his other hand over Damian’s, rubbing calming circles along the back of his palm. “Don’t worry, Damian. Just get some sleep. Everything’s okay.”

And he didn’t want to, but it was the only pillow he had. So, reluctantly, he leaned his head on Dick’s arm, and curled into his side – to be closer to Damian, if for nothing else.

“…Just get some sleep.”

Tim closed his eyes, and Damian did so too only seconds later.

They both missed Dick’s smug smirk.

**Author's Note:**

> [Other Recognition AU stories](http://fishfingersandjellybabies.tumblr.com/tagged/recognition+au)   
> 


End file.
